


Threats

by Marvelouslife



Series: Johnny Storm's Guide to Falling in Love [3]
Category: Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Spider-Man (Comicverse), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Anger, Drama & Romance, Johnny's a sap, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Peter's a sap, Reed's a literal genuis, Romance, for once, more of Peter's POV of this relationship, too smart for his own good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:14:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25930411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marvelouslife/pseuds/Marvelouslife
Summary: Johnny and Peter have a bit of a falling out. Peter's pissed, and Johnny wouldn't like a spider when its angry. Yet, their care for each other is stronger than their issues.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Johnny Storm
Series: Johnny Storm's Guide to Falling in Love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1878328
Comments: 5
Kudos: 52





	Threats

**Author's Note:**

> I love Johnny y'all. Loving Peter's a given since he's Spider-Man, but Johnny Storm...he's like that uncut gem. Beautiful with all his ragged edges.

Johnny had been in a relationship for quite some time now. Three months since he poured his heart out to Peter, and three months since they started secretly dating.

More often than not, it was Peter who went to the Baxter Building when he could, then Johnny visiting Peter’s dwelling. Mostly because half the time, Peter would be evicted from his apartment. During one of their conversations, Johnny told him about the millions of times their landlord, Mr.Collins, tried to throw them out onto the streets. “Sometimes, you do have to threaten them, although you know you’d never _actually_ hurt them. They just need a reminder that it’s your life being risked to save people like them everyday,” Johnny had said to him, and Peter punched him in the arm. 

“You dunce, my identity is a secret to 99% of the population.” The realization hit Johnny and he gasped at Peter playfully. They looked at each other before falling into a fit of laughter. He had all but forgotten there were few who knew of his second persona. Three fourths of the members in the FF didn’t know of Spider-Man’s alter ego. Johnny was almost tempted to ask if Peter would ever want to join the Fantastic Four, but he decided better of it. He had this awful suspicion that this fantasy he was living, was only a dream, and soon he would have to face the horrible reality that he would forever be alone. 

The weight of his issues spoiled the lighthearted mood. He frowned, and he stood up on the national monument. “I gotta head home,” Johnny claimed to cover his crippling fear of loneliness, but Peter was persistent. He reached and grabbed Johnny’s hand, attempting to pull him back down to sitting with him.

“Come on, I’m sure your team can handle another hour without their flame on,” Peter said to convince him. He could sense that something had spurred the flamer in between their talk about landlords. Typically, it was Peter who had to leave Johnny hanging dry, so this was a first for him. It was unusual of Johnny to want to leave, and Peter needed to know why. 

Johnny shook his head, “duty calls,” he shrugged as he took his hand away. Peter could have easily held on to him, his super strength made that a given, but he was also perceptive. He knew he would have to come at this on another day, and at a different angle. He released him and Johnny was quick to make his dastardly escape. 

Peter huffed as he grabbed his mask off the Statue of Liberty. “Stood up by Johnny Storm. Fantastic.”

That was a week ago, and Johnny had been ignoring Peter’s calls. He was trapped in his own mind, telling himself that this was never going to last. That Peter was going to dump him for someone better, and Johnny would have no one. He could see it already. Peter walking up to him, and having that _heinous_ talk he’s had with his previous lovers. He knew by next week, Peter will tire of him and cut him off. Johnny wasn’t sure he could handle the heartbreak, so he avoided Peter as best as possible. 

He focused on his team. On the involuntary missions they were placed in. A few world destroying villains showed, and the FF handled it as they usually did. Johnny however, was failing at his work. Reed Richards, the team leader, had noted the lad was distracted. Something had halted his work progress, and Reed was going to find out what caused his decrease in productivity. 

Reed did the normal thing, and asked Johnny what had bothered him. Johnny kept his internal conflict to himself, and claimed he had only been losing a few hours of sleep. Reed went on to ask what caused this ailment, and Johnny replied with a shrug before leaving off to their hangar where they kept their Pogo Plane. He was clever for using Reed’s own request for Johnny to make fixes on the ship a while ago, because Reed planned to pester him longer. Sadly for Johnny, Reed was intuitive, and the smartest man in the universe. He knew the truth behind his cryptic words, piecing them together like a puzzle.

He wasn’t blind to Johnny’s insecurities about his value in this world outside of the FF. Nor was he ignorant to his past failed romantic relationships. Johnny had been hiding a secret from the FF. Reed could tell with his many nights going out for hours at a time, and occasional excuses for leaving the team. He had met a new “somebody”, but Reed also knew who his interest was. Recently, the FF received visits from Queen’s resident, Spider-Man. He knew it was not a coincidence Spider-Man suddenly wanted to visit his favorite superhero group often. There was an incentive, which he could pinpoint was Johnathan Storm. 

Maybe they had a falling out, or maybe Johnny was stuck in his low self-esteem. One thing he knew for certain, this problem would get fixed, and it would be sooner than later. 

Johnny slept in his room with his troubling thoughts altering his dreams. He dealt with fighting villains he believed he couldn’t possibly defeat with his own mind, and his own, weak power. They had easily trumped him. His anxiety manifested in his dream realm, and while on the inside he was screaming, on the outside, he didn’t stir. 

Peter hung on the other side of Johnny’s window. Six weeks, and nothing. He knew he was ignoring him, and it began to piss him off. At first, Peter thought Johnny was mad at him for always cutting their meetings short with his civil duties. For the first week, he let him keep his space, understanding that he wanted to clear his head. Peter had partners in the past who had to cool their heads after the fifth time he managed to ditch them or miss their date completely. He tried hard with Johnny to be there, truly, but he was still Spider-Man. And with great power, even with Johnny, came responsibility.

Halfway through the third week, he questioned whether it was over. Peter wondered if Johnny was done being his, without bothering to tell him. If he was horribly offended by Peter’s lack of commitment, and decided to get pay back by leaving him on the other end of the line. It was at that point that Peter was angry, but he immediately cooled his head, realizing Johnny could be trapped in the Negative Zone, explaining why he wasn’t answering. With that thought, Peter became worried, and took a precaution by going to the Baxter Building. The FF weren’t in their home, but through outside resources, he found out they were safe. They were dealing with some trouble with an old woman named Agatha Harkness, but they would be returning soon. 

Having difficulties with people like Sin Eater and Hobgoblin, time flew by quickly. Whenever he had the chance, he would contact Johnny to meet him or even go to the Baxter Building, and each time was ignored. Next thing he knew, it had been six weeks, and Peter was fed up. 

He was going to get answers from the flame boy, or he was going to lose it. He was free during the night, and being patient with Johnny had gotten him nowhere. He leaped into the sky, and webbed for the Baxter Building, not caring for the hour of the night. Peter was surprised the alarm system didn’t go off, and alert the FF of his intrusion. He didn’t dwell on that mystery long, focused on snatching Johnny from the comfort of his home. 

Peter watched his sleeping form and glared. Here Johnny was, sleeping like a baby, while Peter ached and worried about the current status of their relationship. He probably thought he was being cute, teasing him, pretending to have any interest in him, when he truly didn’t give a crap about him. Six weeks of ignoring him, and he probably thought he was being funny. Peter wasn’t going to let him have the last laugh _ever again_. 

His webbed hand curled into a fist, and he cocked it back. His anger settled, and it took little effort for his fist to go through the bullet-proof glass window. 

The break was loud, and it woke Johnny out of his sleep, but he neglected to flame on. Peter crawled into his room like a spider, and set his feet on the carpet. “Peter?” Johnny opened his tired but alarmed eyes at his figure as he stalked toward him. 

“Yeah, it’s Peter,” he growled, “we need to go for a ride,” he said before grabbing Johnny by the shirt, and jumping out the window. Johnny gasped, the fog of sleep fading away as Peter carried him with one hand, web-slinging with the other. The temperature of his body increased, until smoke came off his skin. The ember ignited, but his clothes were not of the typical FF outfit. He was in pyjamas, and his white shirt, and grey sweats were not made up of unstable molecules. They burned and scorched, and Johnny quickly snuffed out his own flame before he made an embarrassment out of himself by destroying his only chance at decency. 

“What are you doing?” He shouted at him, and Peter landed them on the roof of a nearby building. Peter dropped him ungracefully, and let him roll with the momentum of the landing. 

"What am I doing? What have _you_ been doing?" He said outraged, tearing his mask off his head. Johnny knew what he was talking about, and he looked away in shame. He had done Peter dirty, and his dirtiness had caught up with him. Any anger he might have had was gone, replaced by his anxiety once more. “Tell me Johnny, I have the right to know.” His anger masked his hurt well, and Johnny forced himself to look him in the eye. 

“What do you think I’ve been doing?” Johnny played dumb, but Peter was not entertained. 

“Pissing me off for one. I mean, what are you trying to do? Push me away? Break up with me? Fine, but don’t do it in this half baked way by ignoring me.” He went on his rant, and it tore Johnny in two. He knew it. He knew eventually he would tire of his antics and call this whole thing off. Because of his head trips, because of who _he_ was, he screwed up again, and now he had to pay the price. He should just go. He wasted enough of Peter’s time, and he wasn’t worth the effort. Peter deserved better, and he turned to leave. 

“No Storm, we’re not done. Not until you explain yourself,” he grabbed Johnny before he could burn his clothes off, and pulled him until they were facing each other. “Not until you tell me why you want this,” he said, trying to hold the lump in. “What did I do?” Peter begged, and Johnny had a revelation. 

Peter believed he was the cause of the problem when it was in fact the opposite. “Nothing. I thought it was me,” Johnny admitted in a whisper, and Peter stared at him befuddled. “I thought I wasn’t good enough for you,” revealing his inner workings brought clarity to Peter, and his anger began to ebb and the sadness crawled in. 

Peter’s arms were wrapped around him like a web as he asked, “why would you think that?” It was a simple, innocent question. Peter was blind to the true depths of Johnny’s self doubt, and to have light shed on to it. Well...it was a lot to take in.

“Because, you’re the best thing I’ve ever had, and I know I’m just second rate.” His voice was small, but his words were big, full of conviction. He believed he wasn’t worthy of Peter’s love. As flattering as it was to hear him put him on a high pedestal, it broke his heart to hear him have low standards of himself. Peter had so much to say. He wanted to tell him how wrong he was. How he was worth every penny, every fiber, every thought to Peter. They’ve been together for such a short time, but they’ve known each other for a lifetime. For Johnny to even think that in their long time of being partners, he didn’t earn his spot on this imaginary pedestal was incomprensible. It was a crime, and Peter’s job as Spider-Man was to stop crime. 

He stared at Johnny for a long moment. His chocolate brown eyes boring into his baby blue ones. Through his eyes, he could peek at his soul, and it wasn’t a little speck of a dying flame. It was a star, a sun, burning brighter than he had ever seen. The darkness of the night could not shadow this flame which shined brighter than the galaxy, than the big bang. Johnny was a roaring fire, and he needed to know. He needed to be shown the beauty he held within. 

Peter grabbed his face, and pulled him in for a fiery, scorching kiss. It was long and smooth, and it had bottled up emotions in it. Johnny wrapped his arms around his waist, treasuring the moment. Peter wanted him to sense his feelings through his passionate kiss, deepening it to express his devotion to this man. When he finally released him to come up for air, he responded breathlessly, “please don’t ever say that again.” He glanced at Johnny’s bright eyes, “You’ll always be my number one,” he caressed his cheek as Johnny shut his eyes, nodding his head while a tear streaked down his face. 

“I’m so sorry, Peter,” he opened his eyes and they were watery, but he had them under control. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Of course,” the space between them was thin, and they shared the same air, “but only on one condition.” He gripped his face with one hand and stared at him intensely, “you don’t leave me hanging for six weeks or else.”

“Or else what?” A smirk tugged on the lips of the Human Torch.

“Or else, I’ll do more than just break a window,” a playful smirk lifted his features.

“Kind of a harsh threat don’t you think?” He asked as his fingers rested on the back of Peter’s neck.

“No, it’s just a reminder that it’s my life being risked saving people like you everyday.” Johnny laughed and Peter smiled. It would take time, but Peter would show him. He was going to show him his spark. He was going to show him the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> Guess Johnny's guide isn't all that helpful. Peter's would probably be more organized.


End file.
